Over the past twenty years, astronomers have identified hundreds of extrasolar planets--planets orbiting stars other than the sun. Recent research in this burgeoning field has made it possible to observe and measure the atmospheres of these exoplanets. This is the first textbook to describe the basic physical processes--including radiative transfer, molecular absorption, and chemical processes--common to all planetary atmospheres, as well as the transit, eclipse, and thermal phase variation observations that are unique to exoplanets. In each chapter, Sara Seager offers a conceptual introduction, examples that combine the relevant physics equations with real data, and exercises. Topics range from foundational knowledge, such as the origin of atmospheric composition and planetary spectra, to more advanced concepts, such as solutions to the radiative transfer equation, polarization, and molecular and condensate opacities. Since planets vary widely in their atmospheric properties, Seager emphasizes the major physical processes that govern all planetary atmospheres. Moving from first principles to cutting-edge research, Exoplanet Atmospheres is an ideal resource for students and researchers in astronomy and earth sciences, one that will help prepare them for the next generation of planetary science. The first textbook to describe exoplanet atmospheres Illustrates concepts using examples grounded in real data Provides a step-by-step guide to understanding the structure and emergent spectrum of a planetary atmosphere Includes exercises for students

Worlds in Collision by Immanuel Velikovsky.

Aliens are big in America. Whether they've arrived via rocket, flying saucer, or plain old teleportation, they've been invading, infiltrating, or inspiring us for decades, and they've fascinated moviegoers and television watchers for more than fifty years. About half of us believe that aliens really exist, and millions are convinced they've visited Earth. For twenty-five years, SETI has been looking for the proof, and as the program's senior astronomer, Seth Shostak explains in this engrossing book, it's entirely possible that before long conclusive evidence will be found. His informative, entertaining report offers an insider's view of what we might realistically expect to discover light-years away among the stars. Neither humanoids nor monsters, says Shostak; in fact, biological intelligence is probably just a precursor to machine beings, enormously advanced artificial sentients whose capabilities and accomplishments may have developed over billions of years and far exceed our own. As he explores what, if anything, they would tell us and what their existence would portend for humankind and the cosmos, he introduces a colorful cast of characters and provides a vivid, state-of-the-art account of the past, present, and future of our search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The beginning of the 21st century is a watershed in modern science, a time that will forever change our understanding of the universe, Susskind contends. Several decades ago, he introduced the revolutionary concept of string theory to the world of physical science. In doing so, he inspired a generation of physicists who believed that the theory would uniquely predict the properties of our universe. Now, in his first book, Susskind argues that the very idea of such an "elegant theory" no longer suits our understanding of the universe, and that our narrow 20th-century view of a unique universe will have to give way to the much broader concept of a gigantic cosmic landscape--a megaverse, pregnant with new possibilities.--[Résumé de l'éditeur].

A wide-ranging compendium of twenty-six essays explores such scientific subjects as particle physics, the planets, the biology and physics of decompression, evolution, the history of time, and the benefits and problems of high technology robotics

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) and Wolfgang Ernst Pauli (1900 - 1958) were two of the greatest thinkers of modern times. Jung is the founder of Analytical Psychology and is one of the best known researchers in the field of Dream Interpretation and Symbolization. Pauli was one of the pioneers of Quantum Physics. In 1945, Pauli received the Nobel Prize in Physics after being nominated by Albert Einstein for his "decisive contribution through his discovery of a new law of Nature, the exclusion principle" involving spin theory underpinning the structure of matter and the whole of chemistry. Together they collaborated on this book that was First published in 1952 in German as Naturerklarung und Psyche. C. G. Jung: Synchronizitat als ein Prinzip akausaler Zusammenhange. W. Pauli: Der Einfluss archetypischer Vorstellungen auf die Bildung naturwissenschaftlicher Theorien bei Kepler. However, our reviewer, himself an eminent professor of mathematics, concludes, "After thoroughly studying their writings for many months now, I have come to see clearly that they are both utterly mad.""

"Robert Zubrin is a true engineering genius like the heroic engineers of the past." -- Frederick Turner, American Enterprise Using nuts-and-bolts engineering and a unique grasp of human history, Robert Zubrin takes us to the not-very-distant future, when our global society will branch out into the universe. From the current-day prospect of lunar bases and Mars settlements to the outer reaches of other galaxies, Zubrin delivers the most important and forward-looking work on space and the true possibilities of human exploration since Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Sagan himself said of Zubrin's humans-to-Mars plan, " Bob Zubrin really, nearly alone, changed our thinking on this issue." With Entering Space , he takes us further, into the prospect of human expansion to the outer planets of our own solar system--and beyond.

The career of astronomer from a woman astronomer's point of view.

The Universe in which we live is unimaginably vast and ancient, with countless star systems, galaxies, and extraordinary phenomena such as black holes, dark matter, and gamma ray bursts. What phenomena remain mysteries, even to seasoned scientists? Our Universe is a fascinating collection of essays by some of the world's foremost astrophysicists. Some are theorists, some computational modelers, some observers, but all offer their insights into the most cutting-edge, difficult, and curious aspects of astrophysics. Compiled, the essays describe more than the latest techniques and findings. Each of the ten contributors offers a more personal perspective on their work, revealing what motivates them and how their careers and lives have been shaped by their desire to understand our universe. S. Alan Stern is Director of the Department of Space Studies at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. He is a planetary scientist and astrophysicist with both observational and theoretical interests. Stern is an avid pilot and a principal investigator in NASA's planetary research program, and he was selected to be a NASA space shuttle mission specialist finalist. He is the author of more than 100 papers and popular articles. His most recent book is Pluto & Charon (Wiley, 1997). Contributors: Dr. John Huchra, Harvard University Dr. Esther Hu, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Dr. John Mather, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Dr. Nick Gnedin, University of Colorado, Boulder Dr. Doug Richstone, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Dr. Bohdan Paczynski, Princeton University, NJ Dr. Megan Donahue, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD Dr. Jerry Ostriker, Princeton University, New Jersey G. Bothun, University of Oregon, Eugene

Isaac Asimov's 21st Century Library of the Universe draws upon the legendary writer's wit, clarity of style, enthusiasm, and enormous command of facts about space to give youngsters the most current information about the wonders of the universe. In twelve volumes Asimov takes young astronomers on a tour of our particular place in this marvelous universe--the Solar System--proceeding step by step from the Sun at the center of it all to the distant outer orbit of Pluto. In between he covers all the interior planets, including our own Moon and the asteroid belt between Earth and Mars. Now Prometheus Books is making these enchanting and educational books available in affordable paperback editions. Jupiter, named for the king of the gods in ancient Roman myths, is the largest planet in our Solar System. This enormous world dwarfs our own Earth. In fact, nearly everything about the planet is extreme--its atmosphere, its storms, its temperatures, and its collection of moons, where you can find fiery volcanoes, icy plains, and perhaps even salty oceans. Scientists have learned much about Jupiter and its moons in recent years, thanks to the spacecrafts that have explored them. Topics include Jupiter's rings, fierce winds, swirling storms, enormous Great Red Spot, sixteen moons, and shepherd satellite, plus the Galileo mission to Jupiter. This beautifully illustrated series of astronomy books for young readers--available in paperback exclusively from Prometheus Books--by one of our all-time great science writers will educate and inspire a love of learning in the young scientists in your household.

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Vintage paperback

A captivating collection of celestial questions from one of America's most prolific authors. With genius and insight, Isaac Asimov answers questions about science--and about life--with facinating theories and facts that promise to amaze and delight. From the beauty and mystery of a quasar to the dangers of nuclear fusion, Asimov explores both the macrocosm and the microcosm with wit and charm.

Sparkling with charm and the legendary Asimov wit, this remarkable collection of 17 essays delivers a delightful potpourri of chemical conundrums, galactic puzzles, and awesome astronomical anomalies. (Asimov is) as formidable and readable as ever.--Kirkus Reviews.

The Road to Infinity [paperback] Asimov, Isaac

It's a Wonderful Town! [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) Surprise! Surprise! [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) Making It! [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) Moving Ahead [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) To the Top [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) Quasar, Quasar, Burning Bright! [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) The Comet That Wasn't [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) The Sea-Green Planet [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1976) Discovery By Blink [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) Asimov's Corollary [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) The Magic Isle [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) The Dark Companion [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) Twinkle, Twinkle, Microwaves [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) The Final Collapse [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) Of Ice and Men [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) Oblique the Centric Globe [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977) The Opposite Poles [Asimov's Essays: F&SF] (1977)

In More Things in Heaven and Earth, Levy argues the fundamental unity of the arts and the sciences, pointing out the poetry that is in astronomy and the scientific references to the night sky found in many of the great poets. He illustrates his arguments with spectacular colour photographs of comets and eclipses and also with extensive quotation of and commentary on Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Donne, Keats, Tennyson, Hopkins and Frost. For him the collision of the comet bearing his name with the planet Jupiter, the greatest cataclysm in the history of astronomy, is an opportunity to get a whole new generation excited about our universe in a way that has not been possible since the 1969 Moon landing.